Obama: Not Keeping Promise of Transparency | Newsweek Politics | Newsweek.com

Obama: Not Keeping Promise of Transparency | Newsweek Politics | Newsweek.com:

As a senator, Barack Obama denounced the Bush administration for holding 'secret energy meetings' with oil executives at the White House. But last week public-interest groups were dismayed when his own administration rejected a Freedom of Information Act request for Secret Service logs showing the identities of coal executives who had visited the White House to discuss Obama's 'clean coal' policies. One reason: the disclosure of such records might impinge on privileged 'presidential communications.' The refusal, approved by White House counsel Greg Craig's office, is the latest in a series of cases in which Obama officials have opted against public disclosure. Since Obama pledged on his first day in office to usher in a 'new era' of openness, 'nothing has changed,' says David -Sobel, a lawyer who litigates FOIA cases. 'For a president who said he was going to bring unprecedented transparency to government, you would certainly expect more than the recycling of old Bush secrecy policies.'"